Tuesday, May 19, 2009

like dominoes

Time to tighten the belt another notch. If it gets much tighter, my belly button will be pressing up against my spine. The optimism of the requests for proposals earlier this year is giving way to the reality of the economic condition of the country. We’ve been doing what we can to lessen our expenses...consolidated our phone service, let our magazine subscriptions lapse, let the newspaper go. All nonessentials are just that. Not the first time we’ve been through this exercise.

Two of my six proposals out there have fallen through due to tight budgets. Two are still possible but the people are moving so slow on their projects that they appear to be standing still. Since I am ever hopeful I keep those in the current file. One is still a big maybe. The art consultant got the job but no guarantee that he will use me and not another artist in his stable. I know that at least one other person submitted a proposal for the windows in the hospital chapel. So that leaves one that is actually going ahead, the least of all the proposals but I am grateful for it anyway.

On the upside, I believe the church for which we are doing the chapel entry has almost got the next big window funded and I have an appointment next Friday for another chapel entry (doors and sidelites). I don’t really understand where all this religious work is coming from as while we have done an occasional ecclesiastical job, they are by no means the bulk of our work. Well, the Divine takes care of those that believe in it’s bounteous nature. I am not a religious person but I do believe in the bounteous nature of the great spirit.

In the meantime we are eating well if nothing else. Our garden is producing and our neighbor’s garden is feeding us also. Last weekend they gave us about two gallons of brussels sprouts (literally) and an arm load of carrots.

Chicken or feathers as my mother used to say. Looks like we will have an abundance of feathers this year. Good for making boas.